24 Hours
by TheRescuer2
Summary: How far would you go to save a loved one? Over the course of twenty four hours, Big Time Rush will battle secrets, betrayal, romance, and life to save the ones they fear could be lost.
1. Hour One

**24 Hours**

**This story won my poll, so I present to you all, 24 Hours. Each chapter takes places over one hour. The story starts at midnight, and ending at midnight, starting the next day. So this story takes places over one day. I got the format idea from this story another fanfiction story, **_**24 Hours**_**, an iCarly story by Gabsikle, which is amazing! So if anything is similar to Gabsikle's story, I apologize.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything or anyone from Big Time Rush. I only own the plot.**

**

* * *

**

**Hour One**

**12:00 A.M **

James Diamond woke to a knock at the door. The brunette slowly got up off the orange couch in the living room of the apartment he shared with his three best friends in the Palm Woods, home for the future famous.

James opened the door and saw nobody was there. He poked his head out in the hall and looked down both directions, and saw not even mouse a stirring. But something on the ground caught James's attention. Five white envelopes, lying perfectly in a pile. James picked them up and shuffled through them, seeing that on each envelope is a name, specifically, his name and his friends, all typed in black ink. The last envelope is blank.

James grabbed his envelope and set the rest of the table. He opened his envelope and removed the contents of it. Inside, the only thing was a several photographs. Shuffling through the pictures, James nearly dropped the photographs at what lied in black and white ink on them.

"Kendall!" James yelled, running into the room Kendall Knight, one of his friends, shared with his other friend, Logan Mitchell. "Logan, get up now!" James flipped on the light switch, causing Kendall and Logan to stir.

"James, I swear, If this is about the fact that you're out of Cuda…" Kendall said, annoyed at the fact that he had been woken up.

"This is important!" James yelled "Get up now and come to the kitchen!"

"If you stop yelling, we will." Logan said, rubbing his eyes.

Satisfied, James ran out of the room and into his bedroom that he shared with Carlos Garcia, the youngest of the group. James quickly woke Carlos and rushed out of the room, Carlos in his wake.

"Okay James, what is the big deal that you're waking us up at 12:09 in the morning?" Logan said with a yawn.

James handed each boy the envelope with their name on it. Confused, Kendall, Carlos, and Logan each opened their envelope and like James, found several photographs. Carlos just stared at the photos, while Logan dropped his to the floor like they had burned him. Kendall slammed the photos down at the counter.

"What the heck are these?" Kendall demanded.

"I don't know." James said. "Someone knocked at the door and when I answered it, all I saw was those envelopes. But there is one more." James handed Kendall the blank envelope. In his rage, Kendall ripped open the envelope and pulled out a typed letter, along with four index cards

"_Dear Big Time Rush."_ Kendall read. _"By now, you have all seen the photographs of your love ones. If you ever want to see them again, you will comply to our demands. Today, at exactly eight p.m, you will have a press conference, where you will each tell the press about the secret written on the index card with your name. These secrets will determine the rest of your careers. Once you have all told your secret, you will receive further instructions on where to find your love ones. If you do not comply to our demands, you will never see your love ones we have taken. We look forward to our next meeting."_

Kendall slammed the paper down on the counter. "Were being blackmailed?" He questioned, disbelief clear in his voice.

"What do the index cards say?" Carlos stuttered. Logan handed each boy the index card with their name on it.

"I can't believe this." James stated, shaking his head after reading his index card. "We are being blackmailed, someone we each love has been taken from us, and if we reveal these secrets to the world, Big Time Rush is over."

"No, the letter said the secrets will determine the rest of our careers." Carlos pointed out.

"Carlos, that's just a nice way of saying our careers are over." Logan said.

"This isn't real." James said, clutching the sides of his head as he leaned against his elbows on the counter. "This kind of stuff isn't supposed to happen!"

"We have to tell the cops." Carlos said, reaching for the phone. But as soon as he was in grasping distance, Kendall smacked his hand away.

"We can't tell the cops." Kendall stated. "If we tell the cops, who knows what these psycho paths will do to them. They could kill them if we tell. We're not risking it."

"So what do we do?" Carlos asked, looking at Kendall.

"Don't look at me!" Kendall exclaimed. "Logan is the brains!"

James and Carlos turned towards Logan, who was rubbing his face with his hands. "We need to wait till we get more information on what is happening." Logan said. "As of right now, we have to sit back and wait to see what happens."

"And what if we don't get anymore information?" James questioned. "What do we do then?"

"We give in to their demands." Logan said, nodding towards the letter on the counter. "As of right now, we have to listen to whoever sent that letter."

Kendall stormed off, slamming the apartment door behind him. James went back to the couch with his photographs, fingering the edges of them as he stared off into space. Carlos went back into his bedroom, collapsing on his bed. Logan too went to his bedroom, sitting on the edge of his bed. He threw the photographs he was sent on the ground before collapsing onto the floor in tears.

Outside the room, James had put a pillow over his face and screamed into it. He screamed till his throat was raw and he needed air. In Carlos's bedroom, Carlos curled up into a ball, silent tears falling off his cheeks and staining his sheets. Kendall ran through the Palm Woods Park, before collapsing in front of a tree, tears rolling down his cheeks.


	2. Hour Two

**24 Hours**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything or anyone from Big Time Rush. I only own the plot.**

**

* * *

**

**Hour Two**

**1:00 A.M.**

Kendall collapsed onto his bed in his room, where Logan laid on the other side of the room, tossing and turning in a restless sleep. Kendall laid flat on his back, staring up at the ceiling. He remembered back to when he was little and had those glow in the dark stickers shaped like stars on his ceiling. But that was back in Minnesota, when Kendall wasn't a pop star being blackmailed.

Kendall turned over to his side and picked up the photos he was sent. On the photos in clear ink was his baby sister, Katie, in a corner, looking scared beyond belief. She had a blindfold wrapped around over her eyes, preventing her from seeing whoever who was taking the photo. Kendall could see the stained tears on her face, and new tears soaking their way through the blindfold. Katie's mouth was gagged and she looked like she wanted to scream.

The blonde dropped that photograph to ground and looked at the next one. It was still Katie, who was on the photos, and she was in the back of a van, someone's arms around her. They looked like they were hugging her to comfort her, but Katie still had tears rolling down her cheeks.

Kendall got up from his bed and made his way to Katie's room. The bed was empty, perfectly made. The blue covers rested gently below her pillow, and the white sheets peeked out from underneath. Kendall smiled softly to himself as he remembered how many times he had to wake Katie up in the mornings, and how he always ended with something thrown at his face.

Would he ever get to experience that again?

Kendall collapsed onto Katie's bed, remembering back to when Katie was six and there was a thunderstorm. Katie had woken him up crying, begging Kendall to come into her room and stay with her till the storm passed. Kendall ended up staying in Katie's room the entire night, even after the storm had passed. Kendall wanted nothing more to than to return to those moments he shared with his baby sister. His baby sister, who he may never seen again.

All because of Big Time Rush.

Kendall knew he shouldn't have walked into that audition room. He regretted going through those wooden doors, and singing the Turd song. Kendall curled up into a ball, clutching his knotted stomach. He felt so guilty, so helpless, so horrible.

His mother wasn't in town. She back in Minnesota, visiting family. Kendall had to stay behind because of rehearsals, and Katie insisted on staying behind. Kendall agreed to watch her, and know she was gone. Katie was gone, and may never return.

After their father had left, Kendall promised Katie he would walk her down the aisle at her wedding. Would she even get a wedding? Would Katie get to attend her high school graduation or have children?

Kendall put his hands on his head, his blonde hair bunched up in fists. He wanted so desperately to escape the guilt and dread that filled him like a flood. He just wanted the feelings to go away. What kind of big brother was he for letting this happen? Big brothers are supposed to protect their siblings from harm, be there for them when they needed them the most.

Well, if Kendall was certain of one thing, is was that he was not there for Katie when she needed him, or right now.

"_What would happen when the world finds out that Kendall Knight, the boy who has made out to be Big Time Rush's superhero, found out he wasn't so super after all? Rather, the superhero has a certain problem that makes him nothing but an ordinary citizen? You know what we are talking about. Eight p.m, you know what to say. That is, if you can even read this card."_

Kendall repeated what the index card said over and over in his head, trying to memorize the words, but the letters just kept getting moved around. It wasn't his fault that he had dyslexia. Kendall never asked to have it; he was born with it. But the blackmailers were right. He wasn't the person he appeared to be. Kendall never told any of his friends about his problems. They would overreact and help him with ever little thing. If Kendall learned anything from his parents' divorce, it was that the best way to get things done was on your own.

Outside Katie's room, Kendall heard someone moving around. Katie's digital clock read 1: 52, but Kendall saw 5:12. Squinting his blue-green eyes, the numbers he was concentrating at corrected themselves, revealing the correct time. Kendall lets out a soft sigh, feeling even worse than he did before. The blackmailers were right; he wasn't a superhero that the media and his friends portrayed him to be.

He was nothing more than Kendall Knight, a big brother who couldn't even protect his baby sister. He was Kendall Knight, the boy who didn't tell anybody he had dyslexia. He was Kendall Knight, the boy who was made out to be larger than life.

He was Kendall Knight, and right now, he wished he wasn't. Because if he wasn't, none of this would be happening. Life would be _normal_, or at least the normality Kendall was familiar with.

Kendall looked turned over, looking at the picture Katie had of the two of them on her nightstand. It was taken right before they left for L.A. Kendall and Katie were sitting on the ground, and Katie was leaning into Kendall. Kendall had her wrapped in a hug. Both were laughing, as Carlos had been in the background and had cracked a funny joke, causing both to burst out when Mrs. Knight was trying to take their Christmas card photo. It was a Kodak moment, and one Kendall would never forget.

And that's the image Kendall fell asleep too.


	3. Hour Three

**24 Hours**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything or anyone from Big Time Rush. I only own the plot.**

**

* * *

**

**Hour Three**

**2:00 A.M.**

James stumbled from the couch to the kitchen counter. Katie's room was cracked open, and he could see Kendall sleeping on her bed. James fought back tears, knowing that Katie was the one the blackmailers had taken to get to Kendall. As for what Kendall's secret was, James had no clue what that could be. Kendall was just so _perfect_, coming up with every plan and a way to get them out of it when it was about to blow up in their plans.

The brunette gripped the edge of the counter, fighting back to the bile that was coming up in his throat. James put his hands to his mouth, and rushed to the bathroom, emptying the contents of his stomach into the toilet. It had been like this for the past two months since he started the treatment. Once James was done, he wiped his mouth off with sleeve of his shirt and fell back against the wall of the bathroom.

"_What will happen when the world finds out that James isn't the perfect, flawless person they believe him to be? What if they knew what was actually on your head was just a lie? One big fat lie? At eight tonight, you know what to say. And if you don't, just add stupidity to your list of flaws."_

James put his hands to his head. He pushed himself up off the ground and fell forward into the sink, gripping the edges. He looked at himself in the mirror. Sweat covered his un-normally pale skin, as all the makeup he used to make it look like he was keeping up his perfect tan had washed off in the shower he took after Kendall, Carlos, and Logan went to bed earlier in the evening. James always went to bed last, taking his shower right before. He was the first one to get up in the morning, and it was usually because he was puking.

James's hands went to head, and he pulled off the wig on his head, revealing his bald head. He removed the fake eyebrows that looked so real. The ones that fooled everybody into thinking that he wasn't sick with cancer.

To be exact, James had acute lymphoblastic leukemia. How he had managed to hide it for so long was beyond his belief. If anybody was good at hiding things, it was Kendall. Not James. He liked to be center stage, the spotlight shining on him. For the past two months, James didn't want to be in that blinding spotlight.

James stared at himself. He looked so awful, and felt that way. James slipped back on the fake eyebrows and his wig, walking out of the bathroom. He walked over to the couch, collapsing on it. His wig didn't fall off, it never did. Even when he was dancing or doing something crazy. He had a special made wig that had a special suction to keep it on his head. James had spent all the money he owned on the wig and fake eyebrows, all in his desperate attempt to keep his cancer a secret.

The doctors said he was getting better. It was only a several weeks after he was diagnosed that James began his chemotherapy. The doctors insisted he take the process slower, but James wanted the cancer gone as quick as he could. He wanted the process to be like ripping a band-aid; quick and painful. Though, James could do without the pain part.

James reached his long arms under the couch and pulled out the photos the blackmailers had sent him. He stared at her, wondering if he would ever get to see her again. James threw one picture on the ground, staring at the next picture. Her normal curls were in a high, straight ponytail. She looked scared beyond, and her hands were bound behind her back. Tears streamed down her face, captured by the camera. James so desperately wanted to reach through the photo and wipe the tears off Camille's face.

Yes, the blackmailers had taken Camille to get to James. Right after James began his treatment, he had been at the clinic late on night for his treatment when Camille had shown up. It turns out her father was in for cancer too, and she was coming to pick him up. James begged Camille to keep his cancer a secret, and she agreed. One thing led to another, and before the two knew it, they were kissing in the rain.

Both felt so guilty over their kiss. Logan and Camille had been dating at the time, and the guilt ate her alive. She admitted to Logan she had kissed James yet again, and that was the end of that. James and Camille had been keeping their relationship a secret, the fear of hurting Logan again to much for both to handle.

"I'm so sorry." James whispered, dropping the picture to the ground as a tear rolled down his face. He turned over onto his stomach, and puke rushed up his throat yet again. James just made it to the bathroom again to throw up. Once he was done, he climbed into the cool bathtub, the tan fiberglass cooling his burning forehead. James shut his eyes, curling up more and more into a ball. Sickness wavered through him like waves during a storm, and James puked several more times into the toilet before finally settling in the tub, his prickling hot skin cooling down from the tub. The lights in the bathroom were off, engulfing everything in its comforting, cool darkness, and James could barely see anything two feet in front of him.

It was so dark in the bathroom. Just the way James liked it.

And that's why it was so easy for James to fall back asleep.


	4. Hour Four

**24 Hours**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything or anyone from Big Time Rush. I only own the plot.**

**

* * *

**

**Hour Four**

**3:00 A.M**

Carlos laid flat on the hardwood floor of his bedroom, staring up at the ceiling. His brown eyes opened and closed, sleep coming on then leaving as quickly as it came. Carlos rolled over onto his side, curling up into ball. A few minutes later, the Latino uncurled himself and pulled himself back up onto his bed. He slipped his hand under his pillow, pulling the pictures of Stephanie out from under his pillow.

The two had begun dating shortly after the Palm Woods dance. They never officially classified themselves as a couple. But they acted like one. Stephanie and Carlos would hold hands, and talk to each in flirty tones. Every time they had to say goodbye, they would hug, and after going their separate ways, a smile plastered on both their faces. Even though Carlos and Stephanie never classified themselves as a couple, everybody else did.

That's why guilt ate Carlos away from the inside out. He so desperately wished he could have declared to the whole world he and Stephanie King were a couple. He so desperately he could have took her face in his hands, and kissed her. There were so many things Carlos wished he had done, and he was unsure if he could actually ever get to do them.

"_It seems that you're the reason everything you love is taken away from you. And it started when you were six. Have you ever considered quitting your lucky patrol that you do with Logan? Because right now, your nothing but bad luck. Or rather, just one giant mistake that shouldn't have been born. At eight p.m, tell the world what you did when you were six. If you don't, then you will be the reason Stephanie King is dead by morning. Just like her."_

Carlos pulled out the pillow from under his head and screamed into it. He knew exactly what the blackmailers wanted him to say. They wanted Carlos to tell the world that he was the reason of the car crash that killed his mother.

Carlos was six. He and his mother were driving through one of Minnesota's terrible snowstorms to get back home. Carlos was in the backseat, playing with several toy airplanes. He kept asking his mother to turn around and look at how he could make the airplanes fly. After asking his mother a million times to turn around, Mrs. Garcia finally turned around. In the second it took her to turn around, that's how long it took for a truck to smash into the side of the car. Mrs. Garcia was dead on impact, and Carlos somehow managed to escape the crash with minor injuries.

Over the next several years, Carlos would come to understand what a car crash actually meant. He also came to learn that he was the reason behind the car crash. That if he hadn't hassled his mother into turning around, her eyes would have never left the road and would have seen the car. She would still be alive.

The blackmailers were threatening to kill Stephanie. Yet again, Carlos would be the reason for another death in the world. He couldn't let that happen. Carlos loved Stephanie King, and he refused to let her suffer the fate his mother did at his hands.

So that's why Carlos got up off his bed, crossed the room to his desk, pulled out a pen and paper, and began to write what he would say at the press conference.


	5. Hour Five

**24 Hours**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything or anyone from Big Time Rush. I only own the plot.**

**

* * *

**

**Hour Five**

**4:00 A.M.**

Logan's eyes shot open, and he gasped for air. The nightmares were always the same. They had been since he was seven, when they first started. Logan sat up in his bed, wrapping his arms around his waist. He hated the nightmares. It just reminded him of the darkest seven years of his life. The seven years that he dreaded.

Logan slowly lowered his feet to the ground, rather afraid to step on it. But he did anyways, and the dark haired boy made his way out of the joint bedroom he shared with Kendall. Kendall wasn't in his bedroom, but as Logan passed by Katie's room, he could see Kendall tossing and turning on her bed. Logan walked by James and Carlos's room next, and the door was slightly opened, and inside someone could be heard writing. Logan peeked in to see Carlos, his back to Logan, bent over at the desk, writing away. Logan shut the door very quietly, and made his way to the kitchen. Logan opened a drawer, and pulled out the photos and index card the blackmailers had sent him.

"_Do you feel like you're seven year old again, Logan? That scared little child who cowered in corners and hide under beds? Well, if you do that know, she will be dead. No more hiding Logan. Face the world at eight p.m. and tell them what happened to you. Why the way you are today. Tell them everything."_

Logan gripped the sides of his head as he leaned against his elbows on the counter. He knew exactly what the blackmailers wanted. And if Logan wanted Jo to be returned safely, he would have to comply to their demands.

Jo. Logan clutched his head even harder, the images of the photos he had stared so hard flashing through his mind. The one of Jo tied up, a blindfold wrapped around her eyes, and a cloth wrapped into her mouth. The one of Jo curled up into the corner of a van, her hands tied behind her back, tears streaming down her face.

Logan knew exactly what the blackmailers wanted Logan to announce to the world. He wanted him to tell the world how his father beat him everyday, starting when Logan was seven and finally stopping at age fourteen when his father suffered an untimely death.

Logan was seven when his mother passed away due to illness. Logan's father, Richard, snapped after that. His wife and child were the world to him. But after his wife's dead, something inside of him just broke. Richard took out his feelings on Logan, who didn't even understand what had happened. But the first time Richard smacked Logan, he was drunk and broken beyond belief. But Richard felt all his emotions over the loss of his wife pour out of him through with that one simple hit. Soon, it turned into a regular thing.

At first, Logan fought back, but was overpowered. Richard would always end up pinning Logan somewhere and beat him till he was nothing but a pulp. Over time, Logan learned to just to not fight the beatings, as they would end sooner. Sometimes, Logan would try to stay out as late as he could at night, but sometimes that just meant a longer beating.

When Logan was fourteen, he had given up trying to hide or fight. The beatings were still daily, and each day they were becoming worse and worse. One night, Logan was sitting home, waiting for his father to return home so Logan could just receive the beating and head to bed. Then the phone call came in.

It was a neighbor down the street. She told Logan that his father had been in an accident, and he had died on the scene. Logan simply hung up the phone, and went to bed, not even crying himself to sleep.

Logan's aunt and uncle who lived in town took in Logan. They never officially adopted him, knowing they could never replace themselves as Logan's parents. Slowly, the bruises Logan had covering with clothing began to fade away, but the emotion and real scars remained. They haunted Logan in his dreams, and they still haven't gone away to this day.

Would the blackmailers beat Jo like Logan's father did to him? Logan shook off the thought, sinking to the floor. The second Logan hit the floor, the memories of the beatings washed through him.

Kendall would kill Logan if anything happened to Jo. Actually, he would kill Logan on the spot the second he found out Logan and Jo.

Logan never thought in a million years he and Jo would actually gotten together. Jo had called the apartment one day looking for Kendall. She needed Kendall to drop off her script that she had left at the apartment the previous night. Logan, being the only one home, agreed to drop by the studio and give Jo her script. With Logan's luck, his car broke down directly after he gave Jo the script, and was forced to stay at the studio all day. Jett, Jo's costar, didn't show up that day for rehearsals, so Logan rehearsed with Jo. One thing led to another, and before the two knew it, they were kissing.

Jo felt extremely guilty over the kiss. She felt torn between the Kendall and Logan. Logan was torn between Camille and Jo. When Camille told Logan she had kissed James again, their relationship ended. Jo broke up with Kendall, saying that she had found another guy. Kendall, in his anger over the break up, told Logan he was going to find the guy who stole Jo and would break him in two.

So Logan and Jo continued to date secretly.

Logan looked at the index card. The blackmailers were threatening to hurt Jo like Logan had been hurt for so many years. He couldn't let that happen.

So Logan walked back into his bedroom, opened his laptop, and began to type his statement, where he would tell the world he was nothing but a scared child, a backstabber, a cheater.

He would tell the world everything.


	6. Hour Six

**24 Hours**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything or anyone from Big Time Rush. I only own the plot.**

**

* * *

**

**Hour Six**

**5:00 A.M**

Kendall fell onto the floor, waking the second his body hit the ground. The boy groaned and pushed himself off the ground, crashing into various objects in Katie's room. The sky was lightening up just a little bit as Kendall made his way into the living room. Looking around the room, Kendall could see a light on in James and Carlos's room, and as Kendall looked in, he saw Carlos passed on top of his desk. Kendall shut the door and made his way into the living room, tripping over something. He fell into a side table. Kendall rubbed his throbbing side, knowing there would be a bruise there later on.

The blonde got up again and made his way like a drunken man into the kitchen, where he saw Logan was sleeping in the upright position, nestled into a corner. His head was lying against a cabinet, and he looked rather at peace. A piece of paper rested on his lap, and a pen in his open hand. Kendall carefully stepped over Logan and opened the bathroom door. Kendall flipped on the light switch, and saw James was asleep in the tub. His body was too big for the tub, and one leg was hanging over the side, while his other leg was up straight against the wall. One arm hung over the side, and the other rested against his chest. James looked rather pale, and his breathing was hitched.

James stirred at the light that shined against his closed eyelids. He placed his arm over his eyes as he sat up. James removed his arm and opened his brown eyes to see Kendall standing in the doorway of the bathroom. James let out a groan, and quickly ran his fingers through his hair, making sure his wig was in place.

"Hey." James croaked out once his disguise was in place.

"You okay?" Kendall asked softly, stepping into the bathroom. The blonde shut the door as quietly as he could, hoping the light didn't disturb the sleeping Logan in the kitchen. Instantly, a foul smell entered Kendall's nostrils, causing him to cover his mout

"Dude, it stinks in here." Kendall said, his words muffled by the sleeve of his shirt. "Did you throw up?"

"I felt sick looking at the pictures from the blackmailers." James half-lied. He had to keep his secret a secret.

"Feeling better?" Kendall asked as he grabbed the can of air freshener and sprayed it around the room. James nodded his head as he slowly rose out of the tub. "Can't believe I fell asleep in here." James joked. Kendall smiled and the two made their way out of the bathroom, carefully stepping over Logan. James, before stepping over Logan, bent down and picked the paper that rested gently on his lap. James and Kendall went into Kendall's bedroom, flipping on the light. Kendall settled down on his bed, knowing sleep wouldn't be coming back for a long time. James sat on the edge of Logan's bed, reading what Logan wrote.

"You need to read this." James stated, after reading Logan's writing for the fifth time in a row. With a shaky hand, James handed Kendall the paper, who sat up and read it. Kendall, once he was done reading, threw the paper on the ground and stormed out of the room.

Kendall swooped down to the ground and grabbed a fistful of Logan's shirt, yanking the dark haired boy upwards. Logan awoke and let out a small yelp in shock as Kendall slammed him into a wall behind them.

"You're dating Jo?" Kendall screamed. "How could you do this to me?"

"Let me explain." Logan said.

Kendall's fist flew out, hitting Logan square across the face.

**

* * *

**

**5:32 A.M.**

Carlos jumped out of his seat as a loud crash woke him from his slumber. The Latino, now wide awake, ran out of his room to find Logan in the middle of the now broken dining room table. Kendall stood over Logan, struggling against the grip that James had on him from behind.

"I hate you!" Kendall spat at Logan. "You two timing, back stabbing friend! She is my girlfriend!"

"Ex-girlfriend." Logan pointed out as Carlos, who had joined the group, helped him up.

"I'm so happy your father beat you to a pulp." Kendall yelled. "Because at you will be used to it when I do it to you again!"

"Leave my past out of this!" Logan screamed, fresh tears welling up in his eyes. "You leave that monster out of this!"

"What is going on?" Carlos screamed. Everybody in the room froze as Carlos made his way to the middle of the fight. "I'm sleeping and wake to find this? I want to know what's going on right now!"

"What are you, my mother?" Kendall spat. Carlos turned around and smacked Kendall across the face.

"What was that for?" Kendall questioned as he rubbed his cheek.

"Stop being a jerk. I don't like jerks." Carlos responded. "And I don't like vegetables. Or girls who hate corndogs. And I especially don't like when we fight."

"What Carlos is trying to say is that we are all under a lot of pressure." James said, stepping in. "All of us are being blackmailed, and all us have someone we love being held captive. Right now, we need to stick together. This is exactly what they want."

"And I want Logan to die in a well." Kendall said. "Looks like all of us are going to get our wish."

Kendall lunged forward at Logan again, but James shoved him backwards. "What's wrong with you?" James screamed. "The Kendall I know would never attack a friend like that!"

"And Logan I know would never steal another man's girlfriend!" Kendall argued. "I just can't believe this." Kendall said, running his fingers through his hair.

"None of us can." James said. "The reality of this…it's a lot. We need to sit down, the four of us, and talk about what were going to do. We are all in this together."

"So what, were going to have group therapy?" Logan spat. "Let's make it into a boxing match so I can punch Kendall like he punched me!"

"You deserved it!" Kendall yelled. "You stole Jo!"

"You two broke up!" Logan counter acted. "And it just happened, okay? I didn't mean for Jo and I to get together. It just happened."

"Like how your father hurt you?" Kendall questioned, his tone become softer. Logan looked at the ground, remembering the pain he had gone through. "I wasn't my fault." Logan whispered.

"Okay, everybody to the couch." James said. "It's time we get everything out in the open."


	7. Hour Seven

**24 Hours**

**Wow, a week without an update. Sorry about that! Hope this chapter makes up for it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything or anyone from Big Time Rush. I only own the plot.**

**

* * *

**

**Hour Seven**

**6:00 A.M**

The clock struck six as Kendall, James, Carlos, and Logan each took a seat on the couch. Kendall sat next to Carlos on one side, while Logan and James sat on the other. Kendall glared at Logan, who held an ice pack to his swelling face. The dark haired boy's body was sore all over, aching from Kendall's punches to when he fell into the kitchen table and it collapsed under him.

"Who's going to go first?" James asked. Carlos raised his hand, and went to stand in front of the T.V.

"Well, I don't really know where to start." Carlos began, rubbing the back of his head. "First, Stephanie is the one the blackmailers took from me. And as for my secret…" Carlos placed his hands on top of his head let out a giant puff of air. "My secret is…my secret is that I'm the reason my mother is dead."

Kendall, James, and Logan each gave Carlos a confused look. Carlos bit his lip, staring up at the ceiling as he paced back and forth.

"I was six. My mom and I were coming home in the middle of a bad snowstorm. I had these really cool airplanes that my mom had given to keep me distracted so she could focus on a driving. But I was making the airplanes swoop in circles and I wanted my mom to see. I begged and pleaded with her till she finally gave in. When my mom finally took her eyes off the road and turned around to see me, a car crashed into the driver's side. The crash broke my mother's spine and snapped her neck. She was dead on impact. I escaped alive…but if I hadn't made her turn around, she would be here. She could have swerved out of the way in time. But I distracted her all because I wanted her to see my stupid airplanes, that weren't even real, fly in circles. It's all my fault."

Hot tears slid down Carlos's face. Carlos still stared up at the ceiling, fighting back any more tears. A sniffle escaped the Latino, and Carlos felt his friends engulf him in a hug. A sob escaped Carlos, and his friends comforted him till Carlos cried himself of all his tears.

It was 6:34 when Carlos finally finished crying. They four pulled apart and Carlos nodded his head, silently thanking his friends.

"Who's next?" Carlos sniffed out. Kendall, James, and Logan looked at each, before Kendall let out a sigh and raised his hand slightly. "I'll go." He said in defeat.

James, Carlos, and Logan settled themselves back in on the couch. Kendall faced them, opening his closing his mouth, before finally finding the words he so desperately needed to say.

"Well, you probably all know the blackmailers took Katie from me. I saw the pictures, it was easy for me to see who they had taken from me. But when I had to read the index card with my secret on it, I didn't read it at first. I pretended to read it. And when I had to read the letter with our instructions, I could barely read it. I wanted to slam it down in frustration."

"Because you were so angry over what happened?" James asked.

"No, it was because I couldn't read the words on the paper." Kendall said, biting his lip.

"Wait, so you can't read?" Logan asked, letting out a sigh of relief. "Well, that's not that bad. A lot of Americans can't read, but if you want, we can teach you…"

"No Logan, I can read." Kendall snapped, still anger at Logan for not telling him about Jo. "The words, the letters, everything on the page were scrambled up, like someone had just thrown the letters on the page. I wanted to slam the paper down in frustration because I have dyslexia, and I reading is hard for me."

"Dyslexia?" Logan stuttered out. "Kendall that's nothing. Millions of people across the world have dyslexia."

"So why did you hide it from us?" Carlos asked. "Why would you hide something so simple from us?"

"Because you guys would have treated me like I was stupid." Kendall admitted. "You would have treated me like some idiot kid who never learned how to read. When I would want to quit, you guys would force me to keep reading. And when I get frustrated when I can't read, I get angry. If you guys forced me to keep reading, even after I was frustrated, who knows what I would have done to you. It could have destroyed out friendship. Something as simple as dyslexia could have made me end my friendship with you three."

"Kendall…" James said, reaching out towards Kendall to pull him into a hug. Kendall jumped back shaking his head.

"See, you're already doing it!" Kendall exclaimed. "You feel sorry for me because I'm a stupid kid who can't read! Stay away from me!"

"Kendall, listen to me." James said, standing up. "We don't think you're secret is a minor one compared to ours. I understand why you hide it. You felt ashamed of yourself for having it, and felt like we would treat you differently if we knew about it."

"That's why I didn't tell you guys about my mom." Carlos piped up. "I thought you guys would just see me as a monster that killed his mother."

"But you aren't." Logan said. "We still see you as your little Carlitos who loves corndogs."

"And we still see you as Kendall, the man who always has a plan." James said, addressing Kendall. "Whether you can read or not, whether you have dyslexia or feel stupid, you're still the same Kendall Knight we have known since kindergarten."

"Thanks." Kendall whispered. He and James exchanged a quick hug. "Now, who's next? Logan or James?"

"James!" Logan shouted. Kendall and Carlos looked at James, nodding their heads in approval. James looked between the three, before bolting off towards the door. Kendall lunged forward, reaching out towards James and reaching for anything in his grasp.

And Kendall pulled off James's wig, revealing his bald head.


	8. Hour Eight

**24 Hours**

**This is my favorite chapter so far. I love the opening. Originally I thought about making it a one-shot, but it works better in this story. Also, I want to address a review I got. The reviewer said they didn't 'agree' with the story, and the fact Logan and Jo are together in this story. I don't like Jo and Logan together either, but I wanted this story to have plot twists and all the other stuff. Okay, ranting over. On with the story!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything or anyone from Big Time Rush. I only own the plot.**

**

* * *

**

**Hour Eight**

**7:00 A.M.**

It always bothered Logan how unflawed his friends were, and how flawed he was.

Kendall was perfect in everybody's eyes. The world was perfect through Kendall's blue-green eyes. His grades were perfect. He had the perfect family. Teachers loved him, kids loved him, everybody in the world just adored Kendall Knight.

And Logan hated him for that.

James was so flawless. His complexion was flawless. He never had a single blemish, never needed braces or glasses. The girls thought he was flawless. Everybody in the whole world, at their first glimpse of James Diamond, would fall head over heels for him.

And Logan hated him for that.

Carlos was the kid that only a fool could hate. He had that joking smile that could make an earthquake stop its path of destruction. Never once in history had the lines _I hate Carlos Garcia_ or _I dislike Carlos Garcia_ ever been muttered or even thought. Everybody loved Carlos Garcia.

And Logan hated him for that.

Logan was so flawed. His mother was_ dead_ and his father beat him to a pulp. Logan did everything to impress his father, but it was no use. His father continued to beat Logan, telling him how unwanted he was in the world.

And Logan believed him.

Logan knew he was flawed. He was a liar, a backstabber, and a cheater. He stole one of his best friend's girlfriend, and hid it from him. Logan took Jo from Kendall, and not once did he regret it. Logan Mitchell was a liar, a backstabber, and a cheater. He was flawed, and at one point he thought his friends weren't.

Now as Logan stood up from the couch, he couldn't believe the sight in front of him.

James was _bald._ The boy who was supposed to be _flawless_ was _flawed_. Guilt washed over Logan at the fact that he felt joy by the fact of this. He was happy over the fact James was flawed.

Sure, Kendall and Carlos were too. Kendall was dyslexia, meaning that he had to actually work like a normal human being to get the grade. The world through his blue-green eyes wasn't perfect, but rather mixed up and jumbled. The world through Kendall's eyes wasn't perfect, but it was messed up, like the world is supposed to look like.

Carlos wasn't the guy only a fool could hate. He was a fool. He believed he was responsible for the death of his own mother, and he was six. Six year old don't even understand death. Carlos was a fool for believing he killed his mother, and therefore was flawed.

"James, what is this?" Kendall asked through clenched teeth, shaking the wig in his hand that he held in mid air. Logan just stared at James, while all waited for answer. Carlos sat still on the couch, holding his breathe as the seconds ticked away.

"I don't know what that is." James answered.

"James, you were wearing a wig." Kendall stated. "Why the hell were you wearing a wig?"

"No reason." James said, backing away slightly. Kendall took a threatening step forward, and James stepped back again.

"Answer the question." Kendall said. "Why were you wearing a wig?"

"I like wigs?" James said, his hand out behind him, reaching for the door knob of the front door, but his hand found nothing but air.

"James, I'm one second away from hurting you." Kendall threatened. "Answer me now. Why were you wearing a wig?"

"To hide my secret." James said, his back finally slamming into the wall behind him.

"And that would be?" Carlos, who was now standing up next to Logan.

"It's nothing." James replied, looking away from Kendall, whose eyes had become daggers. "It's nothing at all."

"Clearly it's something big if you have to wear a wig to hide it!" Kendall shouted, throwing the wig down at James's feet. "What the hell is going on around here?"

"Cancer." Logan concluded. Kendall and Carlos both looked at him, needing an explanation. James's eyes grew wide as Logan made his way out of the living room and over to James. With one swift movement, Logan ripped James's fake eyebrows off his face.

"What type?" Logan asked gently, placing James's fake eyebrows in his hand.

"Acute lymphoblastic leukemia." James replied. "I'm halfway through chemo. The doctors say I'm getting better. It's almost over."

"How could you hide this from us?" Carlos asked.

"How could you think you could go through this on your own?" Kendall asked. "We could have been there to support you. You shouldn't have to go through this alone."

"I did have someone to support me." James said, avoiding Logan's gaze. "I had Camille."

"When did you get Camille?" Logan whispered harshly, his fingers clenching themselves into fists. "It was when she and I were dating it, wasn't it?" James didn't response.

"It's bad enough you did this once, but twice?" Logan yelled. "I mean, Camille told me you two kissed, but I thought she meant it was from when you kissed her the first time. I can't believe you!"

"You're one to talk!" Kendall shouted. "You stole Jo from me. She dumped me for another guy, who was supposed to be one of my best friends!"

"Will you please let that go?" Logan screamed. "I get it, I was wrong. Must you point it out ever time you get the chance? I get it, I'm wrong, and I always will be! Want to know why? Because I'm Logan Mitchell, that's why. Excuse me for not trying to be perfect all the time."

"You think I'm perfect?" Kendall gasped out. "I have dyslexia for pete's sake!"

"That's nothing!" Logan shouted. "Millions of people across the world have dyslexia. I was abused by my own father. Your parents had a nice, peaceful divorce. My mother is dead. My father is dead. I'm sorry I can't be a Kendall Knight. I'm sorry that I'm Logan Mitchell. I'm sorry that I'm human!"

Logan shoved James out of the way and stormed out of the apartment. Once the door slammed shut, Carlos gave Kendall a hard shove.

"What the heck?" Kendall asked.

"Can't you cut Logan a little slack?" Carlos questioned. "You know how hard of a time he had dealing with his parents' deaths. And the last couple weeks he has been so happy, and then this happens, and you not making it any easier on him."

"What do you want me to do?" Kendall asked. "He stole Jo."

"Maybe if you opened your stubborn ears for a moment, then you could hear what Logan has been saying for the past two hours." James said, picking up his wig from the floor. "You two had broken up when they had started going on. You and Jo were over when Logan and Jo started. Carlos is right, cut him some slack."

"I don't know if I can do that." Kendall said. "I just don't know if I can do that."


	9. Hour Nine

**24 Hours**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything or anyone from Big Time Rush. I only own the plot.**

**

* * *

**

**Hour Nine**

**8:00 A.M.**

Logan shoved his hands into his pockets as he made his way through the Palm Woods park. Too many thoughts were swarming around in his head. James and Camille. Him and Jo. Kendall beating him up. His father. The way Kendall spat his venom words in Logan's direction. How he was still flawed, and despite the fact that his friends were flawed, they still looked perfect.

James. He had cancer and managed to hide it from the world. Logan was supposed to be the smart one. James hide that he had a life threatening disease, and continued to look perfect. Carlos had lived with the guilt over his mother's death for years, yet hid it from everyone. Kendall had dyslexia and struggled with it badly, but still got perfect grades in school.

Was Logan the only screwed up one out of the group?

He had scars on his body from his father's beatings: emotional and physical. Everyday, Logan was constantly reminded of the pain he suffered in his childhood. It bothered him that he could hide his pain. He would flinch at the slam of a door. He would cry himself to sleep at night. He couldn't be perfect.

"Logan!" Kendall shouted. Logan stopped dead in his track. "I'm sorry." Kendall said. "I've been a jerk. Forgive me."

"Forgive you?" Logan laughed. "I rather get slapped a million times by Camille. Oh wait, I can't since James stole her from me." Kendall opened his mouth to speak, but Logan stopped him. "And before you say it, I didn't steal Jo from you. She and I were an accident. We didn't tell you because you were just so mad over the breakup and I didn't want to hurt you. Do you know how guilty I feel every time I'm with her? It practically eats me alive." Logan said.

"Why didn't you just tell me?" Kendall asked.

"Kendall, I think that you punching me and throwing me into a table pretty much sums up why I didn't tell you about Jo and I." Logan said.

"I'm sorry about that." Kendall said. "I overreacted. Its just we're being blackmailed Logan. My baby sister is in the hands of some stranger and I took my anger out on you. And I was wrong for that. I'm just scared Logan."

"You're scared?" Logan laughed. "I'm sorry, but the only time you and the word scared are used in the same sentence is when the sentence goes something along the lines of 'Kendall isn't scared of anything.'"

"Well right now, I'm scared." Kendall sighed, flopping down on a nearby bench. Logan joined him as Kendall continued to speak. "I mean when does this really happen? When do people actually get blackmailed like this? It's supposed to happen on television and movies, but in real life? This…it's just overwhelming."

"You're not the only one who is scared." Logan said. "Tonight we have to go in front of the world and ruin our lives. Carlos had to go tell the world that he is responsible for the death of his mother. Which isn't even true. People are going to look at Carlos in a different way. This is probably going to ruin his reputation. James has to go tell the world that he has cancer and has been hiding it. Do you realize how crazy that is? The media is going to all over him."

"I have to tell the world I have dyslexia." Kendall whispered. "Teachers, tutors, anybody and everybody from the education world is going want to help me. I'm never going to get them off my back."

"And when I tell the world about my father, the police are going to be questioning me twenty four/seven." Logan whispered.

"It's never going to end is it?" Kendall asked. "It seems bad right now, but then we have to deal with the aftermath. It never ends."

Logan didn't answer. Silence worked as a better answer.


	10. Hour Ten

**24 Hours**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything or anyone from Big Time Rush. I only own the plot.**

**

* * *

**

**Hour Ten**

**9:00 A.M.**

Kendall and Logan reentered 2J at exactly nine A.M. James was on the phone, and Carlos was sitting on the couch, and the Latino jumped up at seeing the two enter. "Everything okay?" Carlos asked. Both boys nodded their heads as James hung up the phone.

"Well, press conference is all set up for tonight." He said, tossing the phone onto the couch. "Ready for the end?" James said, running his fingers through his hair.

"At least we face it together." Kendall said. "That when we won't be alone when everybody swarms us after the press conference."

"Like that is going to make a difference." Carlos groaned as he collapsed onto the couch.

"What exactly are we supposed to say at this press conference anyways?" James asked as he took a seat near Carlos's head. "Do we make it up as we go along or pre write it?"

"Well I pre-wrote mine." Logan said.

"Me too." Carlos said.

"I guess that means you and I have to write ours James." Kendall said. "Come on pretty boy, time to write our death sentences."

A ghost of a smile crossed James's smile as he followed Kendall into his bedroom. The two shut the door behind them and James found his hand on top of his bald head. "Kendall?" James said.

"Yeah?" Kendall asked as he opened his desk drawer and got out two pieces of paper for him and James.

"Thanks for calling me pretty boy when I look like, you know, this." James gestured to himself. Kendall let out a small laugh and shook his head. "Too me, you're always going to be pretty boy." Kendall said, punching James slightly on the arm as he placed the paper in James's lap. "No matter what you look like."

"I'm almost done with my treatment." James smiled. "Actually, I completed it. Done with chemo. I can almost feel my hair growing back."

"That's good." Kendall said as he tossed a pen in James's direction. "I was thinking of getting a tutor that specializes with people like me."

"Maybe this won't be so bad after all." James commented. "I'm doing better, your getting help. Maybe the blackmailers are trying to help us."

"By kidnapping people we love?" Kendall questioned. "Yes, because that's always how you're supposed to help people."

"I'm just going out on a limb here, but what if Katie, Stephanie, Camille, or Jo are somehow involved in all this?" James said. Kendall did a 360 in the chair he was sitting in and looked James. "What are you suggesting?" Kendall asked.

"What if this whole thing was created to get us to admit our secrets?" James said. "Like this whole thing is just one giant set up for us to finally admit our secrets and get the help and support that we need?"

Kendall opened his mouth to answer, but something flew threw the open window, landing on the floor. James when to retrieve the object while Kendall looked out the window for any sign of the thrower. Of course, no one was there.

Kendall let out a soft sigh and turned to see James holding a note in his hand. "What does it say?" Kendall asked. James handed Kendall the paper.

The paper was crumbled up, and the writing on it was messy, like whoever had written it had been in a hurry. The writing was still legible though, and Kendall could read what it said, despite the fact that it took his brain a while to get the letters properly back into place. But when Kendall could make out what it said, he wanted to punch a hole through a wall.

_This is real, not fake. And the clock is running out._

**

* * *

**

**A/N: I'm sorry if it seems like these chapters are short, because there are. I'm hitting some writers block with this story, and I just started typing up this new story that I'm really excited for, and truthfully I just want to get this story out of the way so I can publish my new story. So I may start shortening the chapter or skip a few hours just to get it over with because I want to move on to other projects. So if anybody has any ideas that can help me get the chapters longer, let me now.**


	11. Author's Note

This story is going to be taken over by 2 kool to spell kool. I have no energy left me in to finish it, and I don't want to make you all wait for long for a short update. So to finish the story, you will have to go read it by 2 kool to spell kool right.

Thanks for understanding.

-TheRescuer2


End file.
